WASHINGTON — To understand the difficulty in passing comprehensive immigration reform on Capitol Hill, just ask Colorado’s four House Republicans how they would tackle the problem.

Each has a different solution.

That opinions within the same delegation and same party vary so much is emblematic of the difficult road ahead in tackling one of the nation’s thorniest and most emotional issues.

In the next few weeks, immigration will get a public airing as a group of legislators — four Republicans and four Democrats, including Sen. Michael Bennet — who have been working on a proposal to overhaul the current system unveil a plan.

For the most part, Democrats are united in finding a solution at the federal level and, in the U.S. Senate, some prominent Republicans, including Marco Rubio and John McCain, have spoken out about the need for a path to legal status for the estimated 11.5 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.

The obstacle may lie in the GOP-controlled U.S. House of Representatives — a more polarized group that ultimately holds half the power on whether a comprehensive plan becomes law.

On Monday, the Republican National Committee endorsed comprehensive immigration reform and said it would spend at least $10 million to engage minority groups.

Asked earlier, Colorado Republicans all said they believed in strengthening the border, as well as instituting some sort of guest-worker program, but the four were split on what to do with the existing illegal immigrants living in the United States, including those brought to the U.S. as children.

Rep. Cory Gardner said he believes that, first, the border needs to be strengthened. He then believes a system of “legal immigration” should be established before dealing with the undocumented people living in the U.S.

He believes a pathway to citizenship, even for American high school graduates eligible under the DREAM Act, will be “tough politically for a lot of people.”

Including himself.

“I think if you pass the DREAM Act today, you’re still not fixing the problem,” said Gardner, who lives in Yuma, where the school district is 38 percent Latino. “I want to create a fair system so people who want to be here legally can be here legally.”

Rep. Mike Coffman’s position has shifted slightly in the past year, given what he says has been more exposure to immigrants in his new, more heavily Latino, Aurora district.

Coffman recently introduced legislation that would allow certain undocumented immigrants — young people who have graduated from high school and have no criminal record — to enlist in the military and be given a pathway to citizenship if they served.

“This is a personal issue for me,” he said. “I’ve been there at times when American citizens didn’t want to serve this country when this country needed them.”

Coffman is not sure whether he supports citizenship for adults living here now, but said he would consider voting yes if it is part of a comprehensive package.

Rep. Scott Tipton, who has canvassed his district talking immigration reform with the Pueblo Latino Chamber and farmers on the Western Slope, also draws a distinction between adults and children brought here illegally by their parents.

“Maybe they’re the valedictorian or the star athlete who wants to go to one of our academies,” said Tipton, of Cortez. “We can and should deal with them in a compassionate way.”

As for the rest of the undocumented people living in the U.S., Tipton said he
believes in strengthening the border and creating a guest-worker program to meet agricultural needs.

Rep. Doug Lamborn, of Colorado Springs, wants “incremental” immigration reform, rather than anything comprehensive. He wants a guest-worker program, but doesn’t yet know what to do with the undocumented immigrants already in the country, nor does he have an opinion on the young people who qualify for the DREAM Act.

“I’m still looking at the different proposals,” he said.

House Republicans say they are awaiting smoke signals from the U.S. Senate before deciding how to proceed.

Because the Senate group of eight is still negotiating, Bennet was not able to divulge details, but said the room is full of “overarching concern in how to get a bill to the floor and passed.”

“There has been no partisan labels. The work has been exceptional,” he said. “It’s been a relief to work on this.”

Among the problems the comprehensive bill will likely try to solve: what to do with kids who were brought to the U.S. as young children and are now graduating from American high schools; what to do with the undocumented people living in the country; how to strengthen the border; and, how to create a guest-worker program to meet agricultural and service-industry needs.

Bennet said the biggest carrot that the Democrat-controlled Senate can hang in front of the GOP-controlled House is passage of comprehensive immigration reform with big numbers from both sides of the aisle.

“We have had lots of conversations with lots of people around the country who have a view on what they want to see fixed — from people in the agricultural community to high-tech companies and the tourism industry,” Bennet said.

Gardner, familiar with agricultural needs, said he believes both parties have similar goals, but the issue is steeped in politics.

“The president has said a few things I agree with and a few things that I think are going to be very difficult for this place to navigate around the politics,” he said. “It’s going to take both parties in what I hope to be the nonpolitical, nonpartisan way to solve this.”

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